Introducing the “Mojikaki” Calligrapher Doll

History

A “mojikaki ningyo” (“calligrapher doll”) that could write four Chinese characters for “longevity”, “pine”, “bamboo”, and “plum”, which were making their way overseas at the end of the Edo period, was discovered in America in 1993 by Susumu Higashino, and after 12 years of negotiation, the doll was brought back to Japan in 2004 where it was repaired and put on display at the Aichi World Expo the following year.

The final masterpiece work left behind by Hisashige Tanaka was this calligrapher doll.

The Inventor

Hisashige Tanaka (October 10, 1799 - January 11, 1881) was an inventor from the latter part of the Edo period and into the Meiji period.He was known as “The Edison of the East” and as ”Karakuri Giemon”.Tanaka was the founder of the Shibaura Engineering Works (later, the Toshiba Heavy Electrical Machinery Department).Hisashige passed away in 1881 at the age of 83. Hisashige had no children, and unfortunately, his first adopted child died early on, but he would later adopt Daikichi Kaneko. Daikichi would become the second generation Hisashige after Hisashige’s death.The second generation Hisashige built a factory in Kanasugi-Shinhama-cho, Shiba Ward in 1882.The Ginza factory/store he inherited from Hisashige became a sales outlet.Hisashige’s factory/store developed as Tanaka Engineering Works, changing names to Shibaura Engineering Works in 1893, and would later merge with Tokyo Electric to become the present-day Toshiba.

Hisashige’s entire life was not spent chasing fame or searching for himself, but was spent exerting himself for others and in the pursuit of technology.In the early half of his life, he produced mechanizations to “entertain people”.In the latter half of his life, he “wanted to exert himself for the sake of the world” and made enormous contributions to the development of technology in Japan.Among his representative mechanized doll works are the “Yumihiki Doji” (Bow-Shooting Boy) and the “Mojikaki Ningyo” (Calligrapher Doll).This Mojikaki Ningyo is considered his masterpiece work and made its way back home to Japan from America in 2004.

Exhibition History

September 2005Appeared in the Aichi World Expo

September 2005Appeared on a Tokai TV special

January 2 - February 5, 2006Displayed at the “Dream Big Karakuri Exhibition” in the Edo-Tokyo Museum

December 16, 2011 - April 27, 2012Displayed as part of “The Tale of Hisashige Tanaka” in the Toshiba Science Museum